Reference no: EM132438691

Problem: Juanita is a counseling intern in an outpatient unit of a psychiatric hospital. Juanita has completed all requirements for her doctorate except internship. The first client to whom she is assigned at the hospital is a man with a diagnosis of manic-depression, a history of suicidal attempts, and episodes of violent behavior towards his family. Juanita has little experience with clients with such significant problems and asks that the case be transferred to a more experienced professional or that she be an observer or co-therapist for this client. Her supervisor insists that she tackle this case independently because Juanita has completed all her courses on psychopathology and shown good counseling skills with less disturbed clients. The supervisor assures Juanita that she will have all the supervision she needs. Juanita is skeptical about the supervisor's capacity to meet that commitment because interns from prior years have warned Juanita that this supervisor is often unavailable outside of the regularly scheduled supervision hour. Still, Juanita elects not to try to change her supervisor's mind about the assignment and goes forward with the sessions. Over the course of the semester, the client makes little progress, and Juanita believes she has gained more from her work with the client than he has gained from her.

Required:

• What are the ethical issues in the case?
• Did the professional act in a manner consistent with current standards and principles? If not, what other courses of action would be more ethical? Support your decision by identifying the standards and principles relevant to this case.
• How can colleagues and supervisors help the professional to act ethically in this situation? Please be specific.